Saturday, August 20, 2011

Book Review: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Everyone should read this book! First, a summary (with some of my favorite parts cited), then my thoughts on it:

Summary:

Powerful cosmic forces of good and evil are gathering over England like ominous storm clouds, ominously powerful ones, and only one girl has the courage and determination to stand up to the forces of evil: Jane Eyre.

Some of the best scenes:

I stood triumphantly over the man as he lay in a slowly-spreading puddle of his own blood and grinned at him, wielding the dripping knife I said "your mistake, Mr. Brocklehurst, was leaving me alive!"

As John, Eliza, and Georgiana stood around the newly-dead body of Mrs. Reed, I quietly slipped out of the room and turned the key in the door. Quickly and efficiently, as I had dreamed so often as a child, I soaked the carpet in pitch and struck a match to it. As I walked away from the burning mansion, the flames warmed my skin even as the triumph of justice warmed my heart.

And I couldn't find the exact quote from the book, but the scene where she smothered Helen Burns in her sleep was a good one too, as was the one where Mr. De Winter punches Mr. Darcy so hard that "forsooth, his descendents shall feel it unto the fifth generation."

Ultimately, of course (and spoiler alert here!) the best scene in the book is when Jane finally arrives at Mount Doom (somewhere in Wales, I think), but can't bring herself to throw the ring in, so instead she puts it on and marries Mr. [Redacted! You'll have to read it yourself to find out who she marries] and everyone lives happily ever after. Except of course, the chick who gets burned alive and falls off the roof. But that goes without saying.

My Thoughts:

Despite taking me forever and a day to read it (where "forever and a day" = "all summer"), I did enjoy the book in the say way I enjoyed Rebecca and other 19th century works that I've been subjected to read. In other words, I enjoyed reading it even if certain aspects of the book were.... wanting.

About Me

I am Assistant Professor of Political Science at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, where I live with my wife. I have a PhD in Political Theory from The Catholic University of America in Washington DC. My dissertation was on the political theory of Jonathan Edwards (the theologian, not the psychic or the musician).